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	Norwalk Minister Indicted by N.Y. Grand Jury for Rape By Steve Kobak The Hour May 6, 2010 http://www.thehour.com/story/486045 A local minister arrested by New York City Police in November 2009 was indicted by a grand jury on rape charges Monday at Queens Superior Court. The Rev. Phillip Joubert has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges that he faces for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor relative at his Queens, N.Y., home. The 13-year-old victim in the case and her mother testified about the incident in front of a grand jury on April 19 and 20. Joubert, the founding pastor of New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Norwalk and pastor at Community Baptist Church in Queens, is free on $350,000 and his case was transferred to Queens Supreme Court for the trial phase. His attorney for the Queens case, Richard Benson, did not return calls for comment. The charges against Joubert came to light after a Nov. 14 domestic violence incident at Joubert's former Lexington Avenue residence. Joubert allegedly punched a 13-year-old girl in the face and several times about the torso because the girl left her school notebooks stacked against the side of his couch, according to his arrest warrant affidavit. After the assault, the victim told her mother about the alleged sexual abuse that had occurred during the summer at Joubert's home in Queens, police said. The victim's mother called Norwalk Police, who immediately informed Queens Police about the rape allegation, according to police. Norwalk Police obtained a warrant for Joubert's arrest for the domestic violence incident and Joubert turned himself in Dec. 31 at police headquarters for charges of third-degree assault and risk of injury to a child. Joubert has pleaded not guilty to the Norwalk charges and he is scheduled to appear today at Norwalk Superior Court to answer those charges.
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